This invention relates to formulation components such as bleach boosting compounds with increased stability, compositions and laundry methods employing bleach boosting compounds with increased stability. More particularly, this invention relates to quaternary imine bleach boosters and/or oxaziridinium bleaching species, compositions and laundry methods employing quaternary imine bleach boosters and/or oxaziridinium bleaching species.
Oxygen bleaching agents have become increasingly popular in recent years in household and personal care products to facilitate stain and soil removal. Bleaches are particularly desirable for their stain-removing, dingy fabric cleanup, whitening and sanitization properties. Oxygen bleaching agents have found particular acceptance in laundry products such as detergents, in automatic dishwashing products and in hard surface cleansers. Oxygen bleaching agents, however, are somewhat limited in their effectiveness. Some frequently encountered disadvantages include color damage on fabrics and damage to laundry appliances. In addition, oxygen bleaching agents tend to be extremely temperature rate dependent. Thus, the colder the solution in which they arc employed, the less effective the bleaching action. Temperatures in excess of 60xc2x0 C. are typically required for effectiveness of an oxygen bleaching agent in solution.
To solve the aforementioned temperature rate dependency, a class of compounds known as xe2x80x9cbleach activatorsxe2x80x9d has been developed. Bleach activators, typically perhydrolyzable acyl compounds having a leaving group such as oxybenzenesulfonate, react with the active oxygen group, typically hydrogen peroxide or its anion, to form a more effective peroxyacid oxidant. It is the peroxyacid compound which then oxidizes the stained or soiled substrate material. However, bleach activators are also somewhat temperature dependent. Bleach activators are more effective at warm water temperatures of from about 40xc2x0 C. to about 60xc2x0 C. In water temperatures of less than about 40xc2x0 C., the peroxyacid compound loses some of its bleaching effectiveness.
Attempts have been made as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,360,568, 5,360,569 and 5,370,826 all to Madison et al. to develop a bleach system which is effective in lower temperature water conditions. However, the dihydroisoquinolinium bleach boosters disclosed in these references, when combined with peroxygen compounds, undergo undesired decomposition, including the formation of an inactive, aromatic isoquinolinium, which causes a reduction in booster efficiency.
In light of the foregoing, researchers have been pursuing with vim and vigor effective bleach boosting agents that do not undergo decomposition.
Accordingly, the need remains for effective bleach boosting compounds and compositions containing bleach boosting compounds which provide effective bleaching even in lower water temperatures and provide improved stability toward unwanted bleach boosting compound decomposition.
This need is met by the present invention wherein longer lasting bleach boosting compounds, specifically bleach boosters and/or bleaching species arc provided. The bleach boosting compounds of the present invention provide superior bleaching effectiveness even in lower water temperatures.
A bleaching composition comprising a bleach boosting compound in conjunction with or without a peroxygen source, wherein said bleach boosting compound is selected from the group consisting of: (a) a bleach booster selected from the group consisting of aryliminium cations, aryliminium zwitterions, aryliminium polyions having a net charge of from about +3 to about xe2x88x923 and mixtures thereof; (b) a bleaching species selected from the group consisting of oxaziridinium cations, oxaziridinium zwitterions, oxaziridinium polyions having a net charge of from about +3 to about xe2x88x923 and mixtures thereof; and (c) mixtures thereof is provided in a first embodiment.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a cationic or zwitterionic laundry bleach boosting compound is provided.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a method for laundering a fabric in need of laundering comprising contacting the fabric with a laundry solution having a bleaching composition in accordance with the present invention as described herein is provided.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, a laundry additive product comprising a bleach boosting compound selected from the group consisting of: (a) a bleach booster selected from the group consisting of aryliminium cations, aryliminium zwitterions, aryliminium polyions having a net charge of from about +3 to about xe2x88x923 and mixtures thereof; (b) a bleaching species selected from the group consisting of oxaziridinium cations, oxaziridinium zwitterions, oxaziridinium polyions having a net charge of from about +3 to about xe2x88x923 and mixtures thereof, and (c) mixtures thereof is provided.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide: a bleach boosting compound which demonstrates improved performance even in lower temperature solutions as well as precluding unwanted aromatization; a bleaching composition including a quatemary imine bleach booster and/or an oxaziridinium bleaching species; a method for laundering a fabric by employing a quaternary imine bleach booster and/or an oxaziridinium bleaching species; and a laundry additive product having a quaternary imine bleach booster and/or an oxaziridinium bleaching species. These, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art from the following description and the appended claims.
All percentages, ratios and proportions herein are on a weight basis unless otherwise indicated. All documents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference.